I reallyREALLY hate this part of the off season–the limbo time before the free agent market heats up–does anyone really get contract work done with their free agents in the “exclusivity window”? The vast majority of the players want to go out and get the most money possible, and while their originating team may be the best offer, its human nature to want to see if you can do better…

So, pretty much the only thing to talk about is who may be going where, Will the Sox get Adrian Gonzales? How will Jason Varitek deal with being the backup catcher? And why anyone is surprised the Sox raised their ticket prices this year, after freezing them in 2009…

Let’s break it down:

The Padres don’t want to exceed a $40 million payroll anytime soon, Gonzales is slated to make over $5 million of that–and the Padres also need some good young ‘uns. So, to get the guy, Theo has to negotiate with the new GM of the Padres, none other than his friend and former Assistant GM, Jed Hoyer, which gives him little or no bluffing room–Jed knows the ins and outs of the Sox–they can’t really BS him. So who knows? But the Padres have something the Sox want, and the Sox have things the Padres want–its just all a matter of what is Theo willing to give up to get his man…

As far as ‘Tek being the backup catcher. While I don’t think it will always be the most comfortable thing in the world, it’s necessary. Jason Varitek has be horrible at the plate, and base runners have been stealing a will…While Victor Martinez is only a minor upgrade defensively, his bat is what is the difference maker

Jason Varitek: .209 BA, with 14 homers and 51 RBI’s

Victor Martinez: .303, with 23 homers, and 108 RBI’s

So what will more than likely happen is ‘Tek will become Josh Beckett’s person catcher (Beckett, well known for his dislike of change, was the only pitcher last year who actually was worse when caught my Martinez)and in those games someone with a better bat (Martinez, Youkilis, Lowell) will sit…

So the Sox are looking at John Lackey, or at least doing the due diligence thing, with Theo speaking to his agent at the General Managers Meeting. While he is an OK pitcher, we already have a couple of intense cranky Texans, I am thinking we don’t need anymore…

Every year, Theo managed to avert the whole going to arbitration hearing thing–can he do it again? Arbitration must be offered by December 1st, with the deadline for a contract being December 12th. The following Sox players are eligible this off season: Jonathan Papelbon, Ramon Ramirez, Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen, Fernando Cabrera, Jeremy Hermida, Brian Anderson and Casey Kotchman. I personally think Theo should pass on the Demonic Bullpen Tandem: MDC, and RR–while they both has flashes of brilliance, you never felt confident when they were on the mound…Papelbon and Okajima are pretty much a lock, but I am not sure about the rest, especially Casey Kotchman, who was not super thrilled about his lack of playing time after being traded to the Sox…

So, the Sox raised Ticket prices this year–and WHY is this a surprise? This is the same organization that allows its vendor’s to mark their prices at $.05–e.g.: $7.05, $4.05, etc. And you feel like an ass if you asked for your 95 cents change, so you figure that at least 75-80% of the time SOMEONE is making a 95 cent profit on Everything they sell…Yeah, sure, some of it is tips for the kids–but I cannot believe these kids are making hundreds and hundred of dollars in tips…

And this price increase really isn’t that big of a deal–No ticket will be go up more than $5.00 (Field Box, Loge Box, Green Monster and Green Monster Standing Room), and a great deal won’t go up at all, or will only go up about $2.00…Spring training tickets have not went up, however, staying at the 2009 price. The Kickoff for Ticket Sales for the 2010 Campaign will be at the annual “Christmas at Fenway” on December 12th…

Rumor has it that MLB has decided not to award the All-Star Game to Boston for 2012 (the 100 year anniversary of Fenway Park), opting to give it the Kansas City, and their renovated Kauffman Stadium. Can you say BOGUS?????

David Ortiz’s Children’s fund, which provides kids in his home country of the Dominican Republic, and kids in New England access to Pediatric Critical Care, will benefit by Big Papi’s Annual Celebrity Golf Classic on December 4th.

As part of the event, there is a most excellent celebrity auction, which includes prizes such as: Tickets to the Red Sox home opener vs. the Yankees, tickets and airfare for a taping of Conan O’Brien’s “Tonight Show” and a party with David Ortiz at Big Papi’s Grille in Framingham. Other items up for auction include: tickets to the sold-out NHL Winter Classic Experience at Fenway Park [map] on Jan. 1 with two nights at the Four Seasons; a Costa Rican vacation with two tickets on Jet Blue Airways and a four-night stay at the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo and a Jonas Brothers autographed Gibson guitar.

7 Responses to “November 17, 2009: Very Little to talk about…”

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Well, I saw right now part of the video and indeed it is quite lunatic.Spanish has probably much more Greek in itself than that language and Spanish speakers are definitely not claiming to be Greek.The video is very racist and stupid, nothing to do with history. They do show there to be descendants of Alexander and stuff.Now, I wonder how many people believe in that rubbish. I doubt many, even in the Republic of Skopie.I still have this question: what do you mean by Aegean pretensions?

Honestly, even without the kids, I don’t think I could keep up with your pace!I can juggle 2 or 3 things at once, but you… you are juggling at least 10+. It’s good to run in your company! It makes me run a bit faster just to stay in the group! I’m willing to bet that Kris feels similarly!Keep up the great work, it’s amazing!!!

Matt, Thank you for your thoughts. Perhaps I should clarify that the “hope” I was looking for was complete reconciliation of African Americans and Caucasian Americans. Perhaps there is some hope provided in Cone’s piece, but for the most part, the book leaves its reader with a firm understanding of hostility and anger between the two distinct sides. In my mind, this is a very sad state of affairs. I hope this clarifies so maybe my argument will make more sense to you. Sincerely,Kevin